"At the ti, I was taking a grammar class, so I was particularly sensitive to it...well, yes, I admit I'm a bit obsessive-compulsive. It annoyed that sothing which was originally perfect had a flaw in it, made so uncomfortable that I wanted to hit a wall."
Harley pressed her mouth tightly, pulling down the corners of her lips, revealing a very unhappy expression, as if she had swallowed a fly.
Although Gordon was not a serial killer expert like Angela, having been a police officer in Gotham for so many years, he had considerable experience, so he nodded and said, "Indeed, many killers I know have obsessive-compulsive disorder."
"When I spot their grammatical and symbolic errors, I couldn't help but to correct them in my mind. It beca a habit over ti. Gradually, however, I noticed that these grammatical and symbolic errors followed a pattern."
Harley frowned tightly, staring at the newspaper on the ground, "After I noticed this, I started to investigate what pattern these symbols and grammatical errors had, and why there was a pattern."
"Then, I discovered an astonishing fact, there is an organization I was unfamiliar with, using grammatical and symbolic errors in text content within various sections of newspapers and magazines to communicate."
Harley shook her head and said, "It's not hard at all. The way the errors are made corresponds to a specific word in the erroneous sentence. Extracting all the words that the errors in the sentences point to, could form a coherent sentence. Arranging these sentences according to the number or position of grammatical errors can form an article. It's a very simple text puzzle."
"When I put together these articles, I realized a world unknown to ordinary people was hidden beneath the surface, a world of insanity belonging to serial killers."
"These killers used this thod to write their own articles, describing their thoughts behind their actions, including what the they set for their cases and why."
"Wait!" Gordon interrupted, looking at Harley in surprise, "What do you an?"
Harley sighed, thought about how to explain, but ultimately decided to use an example to illustrate to ordinary man Gordon how this insane club really operates.
"For example, if soone committed a skinning cri, peeled off the victim's skin and did so processing, they would first choose a pseudonym for themselves, and then decide on a the for the case."
"It's possible that they'd call themselves the 'Skin Hunter', and the the of their cri could be 'What lies beneath the human skin?'"
"Of course, a simple sentence of description is not enough, so they must fully elaborate on why they chose this particular the."
"It might be because they were abused as a child and sexually assaulted by a seemingly kind relative or friend. Or they might have seen animals painfully struggling while being skinned alive during a childhood hunting trip."
"They must give a full account of why they were interested in pursuing this particular study."
"Wait, so the academic research you're talking about is actually murder?!" Gordon raised his tone, as this was brutal even by Gotham's standards.
Harley, however, did not show any signs of guilt. She nodded lightly and then said, "Next, they have to write about their executing process. From my observations, when I first discovered the existence of this club, many killers elaborated on the pain of the victims, taking pride in their own abuse of others."
"But then, a scholar codenad Professor wrote an article criticizing such shallow academic research and wrote several papers far superior in content, wording, grammar, and innovation. He illustrated a logically consistent argunt, demonstrating a dark charm that was unparalleled."
"These papers made a huge impact in the academic community. His profound philosophical thinking, logically closed argunts, and eloquent expressions elevated a previously disorganized third-rate group to the level of academia."
"Since then, the vast majority of serial killers who publish articles have beco more academically inclined and introspective."
"They no longer pursued abusing victims, nor emphasized on describing others' pain, but began to rigorously explain their thoughts and views, presenting their minds and souls to everyone, voicing their pain."
"If everyone in this world had to take a philosophy test, it would be easy to distinguish who is a fool. A person's view of the world and his ability to articulate it often shows whether he is intelligent."
Harley's manner of speaking was so rigorous, unlike that of a child her age, and her eloquence surprised Gordon.
"After this academic shift, those chaotic-thought, low-taste, and tedious butchers were ostracized by everyone. All the serial killers began to chase after the Professor's style."
"I'm still a little confused, what is the style of this Professor?" Gordon asked.
Harley showed a reminiscent look, a trace of fanaticism on her face, as if being srized by her own fantasies, she began to speak with a slightly excited tone,
"The professor prefers to dissect himself rather than focus on others, and that's precisely why all serial killers are infatuated with him. Through his writing, he has shown us how a morbid soul manages to survive in this world. That is the stimulus we need."
"He made us realize, the pleasure we gain from torturing others, stems from an inconsistent soul, cos from the morbidity that has been suppressed for years. Everyone who understands and accepts this theory wants to know how he coexists with the other self within him."
Harley took a gentle sigh and said, "The recent spree of serial killings is not an academic discussion at all, but a celebration by those butchers who think they have won and have been expelled from academia."
"Those genuine souls in tornt due to their morbidity and talent are all waiting for a new savior."
Harley's gaze fell again onto the newspaper on the floor, then she looked into Gordon's eyes, "And now, they have accepted a new secret code, one set by Batman. Do you know what it ans?"
Gordon looked at her silently, Harley's eyes beca sowhat misty, like a gemstone soaked in rain.
"This ans that the theory developed by Batman in his articles has convinced the majority."
"He will take after the Professor, soothing these restless souls, controlling them, leading them, accepting their sacrifices, telling them the answer."
"We will listen to him, follow him, love him, revere him, recognize him as the Savior and Father ... beco his obedient lambs."
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